


Dynastic

by alittlebirdie



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Pseudo-Incest, Soap Opera-esque Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8168471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlebirdie/pseuds/alittlebirdie
Summary: "Ren was cut and dry --- you pay him, he does his thing and then you leave. He's not cheap either, not even the best Hux's had, but Ren has an animal quality to him: feral, defiant, unattached. Half the satisfaction is in trying to pin him down and shut him up when he's spitting venom. Once you're satisfied, once you pin him and fuck him senseless, he regains his composure and tells you to leave unless you have enough money for the next hour."
Hux's father dies and demands for Hux to get married before taking over the company. Kylo Ren is a pain in the ass but he's convenient. 
(tfa_kink prompt fill)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i lost stream with this fic over at the kinkmeme. other than a kylo ren/jar jar pwp, this was my only real contribution and i kinda wanna finish it off since i was almost done with it but i gotta edit it a little bc it's unpolished (it will still be unpolished but hux's name will be updated at least) and i want to take out/add some things in later chapters. for your consideration before reading, here is a raving review my fic got over at the kinkmeme:
> 
> _The characters are barely recognizable as the film characters except in name, the scenario is my personal idea of fiction hell and not the fun kind, I don't like modern AU's or society dramas or soap operas at all ever, by all indications this fic is the diametric opposite to my preference at every turn, SO WHY AM I DRAWN TO THIS GODDAMN FIC LIKE A MOTH TO A BUGZAPPER? WHY? ARE YOU PLAYING SOME JEDI MIND TRICK?_
> 
> _Seriously, dude, kudos. In getting me to read your fic this avidly you have in essence sold a top of the line racing mountain bike with titanium spokes to an aging koi fish living alone in a stagnant garden pond._
> 
> _\--- Anon_
> 
> love ya anon. this is for you.

Before Hux even reaches the tucked away apartment, he hears the distinct sound of wood clashing violently against the wall. 

Probably a chair. Maybe the end table. He hopes it's not the ottoman.

He loiters near the door of apartment 7F, waiting patiently for the sound of shattering glass and rough, muffled shouts to cease. The door opens and a man -- around 40 years old, balding, the professional type, probably married with two kids -- rushes out, pants-less, with a bundle of clothes in his hands.

"Fuck you, you little piece of shit! How dare you!" The disembodied voice still in the room is getting louder as it approaches the open door, presumably ready to throw another object. "Go home to your damn wife, you irresponsible little toad!"

The phantom appears at the door just as the businessman scurries down the hall towards the elevator, frantically pressing the down button and hopping on one foot trying to redress himself. The man who has just emerged is holding an ornate vase in his hand, ready to strike. The storm on his face doesn't dissipate upon seeing Hux. "What the hell do you want?" he hisses, lowering the vase as the frightened man finally enters the elevator. "You don't have an appointment."

"I thought you could squeeze me in, Ren."

"Don't get fresh with me," Ren replies as he motions for Hux to enter. 

Hux hated Ren's apartment. It was too decadent, too elegant for the angry mess of a man in front of him. A rococo chaise lounge, a couch patterned lavishly in navy, red and gold, a full-size reprint of Klimt's _The Kiss_ , a gilt bronze timepiece, a crystal chandelier. The wallpaper had probably been picked out when the 20s were still roaring, a dizzying burgundy and gold Art Deco design. The place was cluttered but cozy, the lights always low and casting shadows. A room right out of an old film. 

"What did he do to you?" Hux finally says, flicking a thumb to the battered chair and fragmented lamp near the door. 

"Fucking asked me to run away with him," Ren growls. "His damn wife just had a baby, too. That little subhuman piece of trash..."

Hux settles onto the sofa as Ren stomps off to his bedroom. As usual, Ren has surprised him. Hux didn't think the younger man would care or even know about the domestic aspects of his customers' lives. Then again, it probably has to do more with trying to turn a quick fuck with Kylo Ren into something more romantic and melodramatic. Ren was cut and dry --- you pay him, he does his thing and then you leave. He's not cheap either, not even the best fuck Hux's had, but Ren has an animal quality to him: feral, defiant, unattached. Half the satisfaction is in trying to pin him down and shut him up when he's spitting venom. Once you're satisfied, once you pin him and fuck him senseless, he regains his composure and tells you to leave unless you have enough money for the next hour.

That's the quality that has Hux coming back.

"Oh," Hux shrugs as Ren re-enters the room. 

"What do you want?" Ren frowns impatiently. "Blowjob before work, Mr. Bigshot? It's the usual fee, upfront, plus a no appointment fee."

"Fine," Hux says as slowly as he takes out his wallet and hands the money to Ren, who counts it before sticking it in his pocket. "Wait."

Ren has positioned himself between Hux's legs already, his eyes furrowing in irritation at being interrupted. "What is it now?"

"Just don't. I actually had something else in mind," Ren is still between his legs, still irritated, waiting for Hux to finish. "Listen to me till the end: I need you to pretend to be my fiancée ---"

"You're kidding?" Ren interrupts, really looking up at him now with his mouth agape. "What do I look like to you? I am not fucking _Pretty Woman_ , Hux. I'll blow you, I'll fuck you, I'll let you come on my face but I am not running around playing pretend with you."

"I'd pay," Hux responds with a shrug. "Per diem plus meals."

"No," Ren is getting up now, shaking his head. He stops and turns around, "But I'll take the bait. Why do you need a fake fiancée?"

"Dear old Dad died last night," Hux sighs, sarcasm seeping into his voice. "In the hush of night, the bloodsuckers I call family called up the family lawyer to get their rightful piece," Ren listens attentively and Hux thinks he may be considering. "I thought I was going to inherit the company."

"You aren't?"

Hux's face twists in anger. "That's the thing, I did. But with the stipulation that I get married."

Ren laughs. "That's what you get for relying on old money."

"Of course Father dearest would find a way to antagonize me in death," Hux grinds his teeth then looks intently at Ren, "I don't want a fucking spouse, Ren. I want a business partner, someone who understands it's a transaction. We play it up as fiancées, get a quicky marriage then I get the company legally. You can live your life and we'll divorce quietly three months later."

Ren's mouth moves in thought. "Fine," he slaps his hands onto his thighs. "But I want per hour pay, the standard fuck rate. Plus food and expenses. Nothing before 10AM and nothing after 11PM. Maximum three events a week and I reserve the right to not go to any event. I will not call you by a pet name, you may call me 'darling' only, and no kissing beyond the cheek," he huffs and extends a hand, "Deal?"

Hux blinks in disbelief. "Deal."

He has a husband.


	2. Meet Cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren meets Hux's mom. It goes surprisingly well. 
> 
> Hux is confused and impressed.

Ren's late to brunch. 

Hux looks across at his mother, a lithe woman given volume by her white tweed dress suit with matching pillbox hat, checking her make-up in a compact mirror. 

Mrs. Brendol Hux was the symbol of bourgeois female chic: a sophisticated, intelligent and independent modern woman. She was a doctor of astrophysics in her own right but opted for the stylization of Mrs. Hux. Her family was nouveau riche -- her father, a former ranch hand, had struck oil. They had money but Mrs. Hux soon realized money was nothing in society without status. For this reason, Hux has always grown up thinking his mother only put up with his father for the right to be called a member of the prestigious Hux family. With her mink coats, diamond bracelets and lavish evening parties, she fancied herself a new age Mrs. Astor. 

Hux looks away, checking his watch for the fourth time in the last two minutes. His mother wipes away a smudge of lipstick off the edge of her mouth as she speaks. "Darling, maybe you've been stood up, hm?"

"He'll be here, Mother," Hux spits.

"No need to be so vicious, dear," the compact is snapped shut tightly while his mother's eyes meet his with as affectionate of a smile as she can muster, "Armie, darling," Hux's eyebrows furrowed at the nickname as she continued in an affected childish voice. "It was so sudden, you realize? I hadn't even presumed you were in a relationship. You know, you never tell your poor Mother anything anymore. It's a bad habit, dear."

"I'll try to remember to tell you everything from now on, Mother," Hux gives a forced smile to accompany his sarcasm. "Where is Phasma anyways? She was supposed to be here." 

"Oh, who knows where that child ever is?" She throws her hands up in mock defeat. "She didn't even come back for Father's funeral," A small 'tsk' noise escaped her lips as the normally serene face contorts. Her voice goes down to a lower octave, "If only I could have skipped it, too. It was such a drab affair, don't you agree, dear? Oh! And that old hell bat you call a grandmother! Just made it the worst, Armie. You know, I had some really marvelous funeral ide---"

Mrs. Hux stopped, gazing past her son towards the figure that loomed behind him. To Hux's relief, the hand resting on his shoulder is undeniably Ren's. He's felt it there thousands of times before. Yet when Hux turns to investigate the man who is now uttering a humble apology and kissing his cheek, he doubts this could be Ren. For one, the stranger's face is bright and clean-shaven as opposed to the broody atmosphere and stubble that characterized Ren's face. Furthermore, this man's hair was cut to a professional length, nothing like Ren's unruly mane. 

Over anything else, this man is charming, polite and warm --- three adjectives Hux would never use to describe Kylo Ren.

The only confirmation he gets that this wasn't some clever imposter is the dirty look and harsh whisper ("introduce me, you jackass") Ren manages when Mrs. Hux is distracted by her desire to straighten every crinkle on her suit.

After her inspections, Mrs. Hux lets out a nervous giggle as she holds out her hand. "I'm Armie's mom. Please, no need for formalities, just call me Mother. You're going to be part of the family soon, too...uh..." Mrs. Hux trails off and smiles at Ren again, her gaze wandering to her son. "Darling, you haven't even told me the name of your fiancée yet."

"Ren."

"Ben."

Mrs. Hux laughs nervously, a blush in her cheeks and her voice shrill in embarrassment. "Ren or Ben, darlings? I thought I heard both."

Ren --- "Ben" --- kicks Hux beneath the table and manages to give him a warning glare without his future mother-in-law seeing. R/Ben takes Mrs. Hux's hand and lays a light kiss on it, "It's Ben, Mother."

"Of course!" Hux's mother giggles again. "Armie would play nasty little tricks like that when he was a child! He had a nanny from some foreign place or another and he would always say, 'Mother, say this to Ruth!' -- that was the nanny's name, you understand -- and I would say it," she lets out a laugh as if she found it amusing rather than wholly infuriating as she did then. "Then Ruth would would gasp and say in that sweet, little accent of her's, 'Oh, no, Mrs. Hux, you mustn't say that!'"

R/Ben laughed along with his mother, almost with perfect timing. "Mrs. Hux, I must say, I can't believe you are the mother of an adult man. When I walked up to the table, I thought for sure you were his sister."

"Oh!" Mrs. Hux's nose scrunches up in bashful laughter. "Ben dear, your silver tongue will be the death of me, I just know it! I think I'll excuse myself for a moment. You boys talk amongst yourselves."

As soon as his mother is out of earshot, Hux turns slowly to Ren. The younger man's face has temporarily reverted back to its sullen natural state as predatory eyes ravish the table. Hux couldn't help the incredulous tone of his voice when he finally speaks. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Ren grabs a piece of bread from the center of the table. "Your fiancée, idiot," he takes a bite. "You're paying good money for this. Do you think I half-ass it when it comes to work?"

"No, but I didn't think I would be meeting Ben."

Ren shrugs, finishing off the piece. "Look, that old harpy will be back in two minutes and she's going to ask us how we met," he grabs Hux's lemonade and takes a sip. "How did we meet, Armie?"

"Whatever happened to no pet names?"

"I don't even know your first name," Ren says finishing off the lemonade and grabbing a mini-quiche off the display. The more Hux thinks about it, the more he realizes that Ren really doesn't know a thing about him yet here he is getting to know his mother in intimate detail. He wouldn't say it was guilt but rather an anger at himself for not prepping Ren better for the job. He figures the least he could do is tell Ren his first name. As soon as he opens his mouth though, Ren cuts him off. "Doesn't matter. Anyways, are you handling the meet-cute or am I?"

"Do you have anything in mind?" Hux asks, glancing at the women's restrooms. "I don't think 'dive-bar glory hole' is going to win her over."

"Yeah, asshole, since I knew you didn't think it through," Ren growls while attacking a shortbread cookie. "Listen carefully, okay? When I first saw you, we were both sitting at the gate for a flight we both had to London. You've been to London, right?" Hux nods. "I glance at you often and think, 'He's cute'. When I get on the plane and the seat next to me is empty, and I think, 'Wouldn't it be nice if he ended up sitting next to me?' Well, chance has it that a family wanted to sit together and he offered to switch his seat with the seat that happened to be next to mine. We spent the entire flight discussing everything. But then tragically, our 13 hour flight lands. We exchanged numbers but drifted away until you suddenly send me a drunk text years later meant for another friend. We hit it off like no time had past at all and before we knew it, we were engaged. We were always in different places so we never had the opportunity to meet family."

Hux nods, shocked and impressed. "That'll work."

Hux is right: his mother eats the story right up. Along with the other things Ren is feeding her about degrees in political science and history, fencing lessons as a child, a pilot's license and how they just missed each other on the Riviera last winter. Hux isn't sure who this Ben creature Ren has created is but Hux thinks, judging from the shrill laughter emanating from his mother, that this may actually work.


	3. All in the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux brings his hooker home. This will probably won't go well: pt 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dunno what was going on with me like five months ago but i REALLY wanted to describe that house for some reason.

Belmont Court by the Sea, the ancestral Hux family home, was built in 1856. It's châteauesque design was dreamt up by some famed architect of the time. In 1902, a fire destroyed the right wing of the home which prompted Aldous Hux, the famed industrialist and a stubborn man, to remodel the wing in his preferred baroque style. Against the urging of several architect, the remodeling was completed in the spring of 1903. Belmont Court by the Sea thus became the eyesore of the suburban village wherein it resided, with several petitions having circulated since it's completion to cover-up or destroy the offending mismatch of stylistic design and coloring.

"I've only ever read about Belmont Court," Ren marvels as the car slowly pulls up the strip near the front door of the home. "I can't believe it actually exists."

"It's an embarrassment," Hux frowns. "All of the trees surrounding the house weren't there when it was originally built; they were planted secretly by my great-grandmother in the hopes that one day the entire manor would be covered from public sight." 

"I get it," Ren nods, eyes still canvassing the length of the home. "I would want this for my eyes only, too. Few people truly understand the beauty of such a place."

"What are you talking about?" Hux's eyebrow rose, "This place shows a blatant disregard for aesthetics, taste and sensibility."

"You don't understand a creative vision," Ren says as he exits the car, begrudgingly working his way towards Mrs. Hux, who is waving enthusiastically at the door. Hux shakes his own head as he exits the vehicle. 

A blatant disregard for aesthetics, taste and sensibility. Of course he liked it: Ren was the human manifestation of Belmont Court.

When they arrived at the door, Mrs. Hux ushers them in eagerly. "Darlings, come in, come in! It's been so long since Armie's been home! His brother and sister are just dying to meet you!" Her eyes divert to Hux as she lightly and playfully slaps his elbow, "I finally managed to dig up Phasma! And darling little Finn took the first flight home once I told him the news!"

"Finn's here?" Ren notices how quickly the color withdrew from the older man's face.

"Of course! He was shocked, dear!" Mrs. Hux tutted in disappointment. "How could you manage to track that sister down to tell her but not tell your sweet little brother? He absolutely adores you! You should have heard my little angel's voice, so heartbroken at being the last to know!"

"Heartbroken?" Hux choked out. Ren's eyebrow rose slightly in fascination. 

Once Mrs. Hux excused herself to check on lunch, Ren cleared his throat with a fake cough to break the murky atmosphere. "Is there, uh, maybe something I should know about you and your brother?" 

"Nothing you need to know." Hux replied coldly.

"Okay, okay," Ren shrugged, holding up his hands as if to say he'll back off the topic, "Just wanted to know for work's sake. I am not personally interested in knowing what is going between you and your little brother, all right? That's your own messed up family business."

"I wasn't fucking him, if that's what you think, okay?" Hux shoots, a little more defensively than needed. 

"Woah," Ren threw his hands up again in mock surrender as he whistled out his reply. "Whatever, man. Your prerogative."

"Damnit Ren, I just haven't seen him in a while!" Hux practically shouted before catching his tone. "That's it, okay?" 

The room fell silent after Ren shrugged. He proceeded to walk down the length of the mantel of the sitting room Mrs. Hux had deposited them in, absent-mindedly observing the photos and other objects that littered the surface. In the crushing silence, his mind wandered to the little outburst Hux just had.

The older man wasn't a regular customer of his. He's probably only seen Hux a handful of times. Regardless, he'd always stuck out in Ren's mind. Unlike his other customers, who'd linger even when Ren had finished his job, Hux would roll right out of bed and start dressing before Ren even told him to leave. Paid upfront, always cut to the chase, didn't want any false semblance of romance. Hux was there for the exact same reason Ren was: pure, raw, unadulterated sex for money. The ideal customer as far as he's concerned. That's probably why the sudden burst of emotion surprised Ren: Hux is normally so detached, never a crack in his stone-cold face outside the brief moment of orgasm. But the Hux in front of him felt. Felt things about a mysterious little brother.

Come to think of it, Ren considers the entire Hux family. The mysterious little brother. The dead father. The elusive sister. The shrieking mother. All growing up and living in Belmont Court together. This just being a job, Ren reaffirms, but his curiosity was piqued by the family. He might as well amuse himself in it.

"My! So quiet, boys?" Mrs. Hux's voice cut through the silence. She walked into the room then turned around to address a party just outside the door. "Come along, children, don't be shy."

Ren, in new found resolve, peers at the pair emerging from the door. A tall, suntanned woman with short blonde hair dressed in tattered jeans and a loose v-neck tee tucked in haphazardly. The elusive sister. Following her was a short, innocent-looking dark-skin man in a worn leather jacket, jeans and a black tee. The mysterious little brother.

Mrs. Hux, the shrieking mother, speaks again. "Ben, darling, this is my oldest Phasma and my youngest Finn. Darlings, this is Armie's fiancée Ben."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Ren smiles, extending a hand towards Phasma. She returns with a half-hearted shake. He immediately extends the same hand to Finn, who grips firmly and shakes with enough enthusiasm for both he and his sister. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Finn."

Finn beams. "It's good to meet you, too, Ben!" The man still sitting behind Ben caught and held the younger man's attention. A lot quieter, cautious even, Finn greets him. "Hi, Armitage." 

"Hey, Finn," Hux returns quietly, averting his eyes. Phasma nods in his direction. "Hey, Phasma."

Well, this is awkward. "Is lunch ready, Mother?" Ren smiled towards the older woman who was appraising the scene in disapproval. It surprised Ren how much like Hux she looked when a stern line was etched across her face.

Mrs. Hux snapped out of her trace with a start. "Oh, yes, darling!" She collects herself. "Come along, dears, let's go to the sunroom."

Ren allows everyone to leave before him so he can observe the chilly dynamic of the four Huxes in front of him. The tetrad moves with the same elegant, mechanical steps that Ren has grown to know a little too well. They exude an atmosphere that seems to exclude him. That is, until he realizes that he himself has the pleasure of being another Hux family secret. A little laugh bubbles out of him at the thought, catching the attention of his Hux. The older man shoots a look of annoyance at his beau before turning into the sunroom. 

This was going to be fun.


	4. All in the Family, pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren is brutally honest while Hux and Finn are giving off low-key Flowers in the Attic vibes.

"Something is fishy about that guy, Finn."

Finn looks up from his book to his sister, who has leaned into him from the opposing couch. "Phas..." Finn replies cautiously. "He's just a nice guy."

The oldest and youngest members of the Hux clan had retreated back to the sitting room after a particularly uncomfortable lunch that consisted of their mother talking at the various members of the table and Ren's polite responses. 

"Exactly!" She exclaims and jabs a finger into the air in front of Finn's nose as soon as he was done speaking. "What kind of nice guy would like Armitage?"

"I like him," Finn points out with a frown. "Would even say I love him. And you do, too."

"Of course we love him," Phasma leans back into the sofa, throwing her arms up. "Because, my darling little brother, we are at the nurturing level horrible people. We were raised by Mommy dearest and Armie's dad---"

"He's our dad, too, Phasma," Finn interjects, his frown becoming more prominent. "Mom and Dad never treated us any differently than him. We're just as much their kids."

Phasma pursed her lips, her nose twitching at the comment. "I was in this family before you, Finn. You got the nice, 'repenting for years of shady business practices in the developing world' old man Dad when you were adopted but Armie and I..." Her eyes flicked to a memory before Finn's time. "We had him when he was his intolerable true self." For a second, she was going to continue her tirade against the deceased Brendol Hux but Phasma decides to quit when the grief in Finn's eyes became too much. She sighs in defeat. He can't help it: he's only ever known one extremely different version of their father. She smiled softly at her little brother to ease the tension forming, "I guess Mom is grating to the nerves but she's not so bad."

The younger man bit his inner lip nervously, still eager to explain why 'Dad wasn't so bad.' He instead shifts the conversation back to it's original focus, "What don't you like about Ben?"

"A little too perfect," Phasma explains slowly, seemingly happy with this line of conversation also. "'What beautiful taste in furniture, Mother'; 'Is that an original painting, Mother?'; 'What you've done to Belmont is so beautiful, Mother'." 

"He's just polite, Phas," Finn replies, "Armie's happy enough with him to marry him, okay? Let's not ruin this for him. He deserves to be happy."

"Finn," Phasma leans into him again, "He could be blackmailing Armitage with something. Why would he suddenly decide to get married? The timing is really suspicious." Her face takes on a contemplative nature, working out all the facts she's assembled. "News that Dad died and Armie is taking over are all over the place. Put that together with how extremely uncomfortable Armitage looked during lunch and how little 'Ben' actually says about himself. For instance, what is his last name?" She bit her lip and spoke to herself quietly, "He could be a golddigger or something."

"What could he possible blackmail Armitage with?" Finn almost scoffed. "He's the image of respectability; he's always been careful."

Phasma shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, he was looking at you a lot during lunch, Finn."

"Phasma..." His voice was warning.

"He might know about ---"

"Children!" Mrs. Hux's voice rang though the hallways outside the sitting room. The disembodied voice's owner finally appeared, looking jubilant, in the doorway. "Darlings, come get more friendly with your future brother!" Her gaze narrowed in on Phasma and her voice took on a strict, if not warning, maternal tone, "And play nice."

Finn rose without responding as Phasma lets out half-hearted promises to a chiding Mrs. Hux ("Why don't you wear a nice dress, darling? / Those jeans have holes in them, kitten! I can't believe that was the first impression Ben had of you! / People will say we aren't able to afford to buy you nice things, dear! / Spit out your gum, darling, it's unsanitary. / Phasma, are even listening?"). The younger Hux's mind was mulling over how true Phasma's previous statement could be until he was forcibly brought back to reality. 

"Finn, my little angel," Mrs. Hux grabbed his arm in exhaustion. "Your sister will surely be the death of me. All I want is for you both to make Ben feel at home; he's no family, you see, so he doesn't want a wedding ceremony ---"

"How convenient --- no family and a quick courtroom marriage," Phasma's statement, spoken like a woman whose suspicions have been confirmed, was clearly directed at Finn. He furrowed his eyebrows in response. 

"What on earth are you prattling on about, dear?" Mrs. Hux frowns, throwing a glance at her daughter. "Either way, I expect you both to treat Ben like family."

"Of course," Phasma says with a slight delay, her face lighting up with a devilish glow.

Finn looks nervously at Phasma as their Mother excitedly goes on about the party she was planning to introduce Ben to the rest of their friends and family. Finn finally sighs, "Mother, maybe it's best to tell Ben and Armie about this party...to see if they are okay with it. They could want this to be unceremonious in every definition of the word. It could be very awkward."

Phasma's head almost did a 360 to look at Finn. 'What are you doing?' she mouthed to her brother until Mrs. Hux's light gasp caused them to look at her. "Oh dear! Finn, darling, you are absolutely right. I was just so excited and I do want this to go well."

"How about we tell them? It would be no trouble and you can enjoy your planning," Phasma tries to salvage with a forced smile.

"Oh, would you, dear? That would be lovely," Mrs. Hux kissed her daughter's cheek with a loud smack. "Do hurry though, child. It starts at 7:30 this evening and I want to know if I should plan another grand reveal if they disagree."

Phasma rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mother dear," her lips pursed. "Why don't you tell Armie, Finn? He's in his old room, I think. Ben's out in the garden so I'll head out there. No point in assembling them to ask a simple question, right?"

Finn's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Right."

"Children..." their mother warned. "I said play nice."

"Yes, Mother." Both Hux children repeat in unison as they stalk off in opposite directions.

* * *

"What are you up to?" 

Phasma had found Ren in one of the many gazebos tucked away in the garden behind the house. Standing right in the middle of the gazebo, he's looking down at the keyed up blonde. "Pardon?"

"I don't know what he have on Armie, but whatever you are up to, just give it up."

Ren's eyebrows lifts in amusement. If he understood correctly, she was accusing him of nefarious intentions. "Look, lady, you have the story wrong, okay?"

Phasma, arms crossed defiantly, walked up the several steps of the gazebo until she was face-to-face with Ren. "Okay? Then help me understand."

"I'm just a prostitute your brother hired to pretend to be his fiancée."

Her hands seemed to fall out of each other, lazily drooping at her sides. Her voice resembled the dumb-struck confusion on her face. "What?" 

"I don't even know his damn name. It's Armie or something. Is it Armitage or what?" Phasma nods, still stupefied. Ren throws a hand up in thanks, "Well, now I know."

"Armie hired you..." Ren nods at her words. "...to play his fiancée?" He nods again. "And you're a hooker?"

"Yeah."

She puts her head in her hands in exasperation. "Why the fuck would he even do that?"

Ren retreats a little, taken aback. That's curious. "His Dad's will. It said he had to be married to take over."

"It said what?" she asked sharply.

"You don't know?"

"Of course not, you giant twerp," she spat, the fire in her eye getting hotter as Ren laughed at her words. "It would be so like Dad to do something like that!" she huffed in anger and moved to punch a pillar nearby. After hitting it a couple of times, Ren was impressed with the crack marks that were forming. The older woman let out a muffled scream, collapsing into the bench nearby. Once she calmed down, she looked at Ren to explain. "No one was allowed to be at the will reading for Finn and Armie. Just them and the lawyer, Dad's wishes."

"Oh?" Ren replied in consideration, "What's going on between those two anyways? Does it have anything to do with the very _Flowers in the Attic_ vibe I get from them?"

Phasma scowled. "It has nothing to do with you."

Ren smirked as he wiggled a finger at the older woman. "The more you guys try to hide them, the more I want to know your dirty little secrets."

"Look, it's not my secret to tell anyways," Phasma sighs in exhaustion. "Ask Armitage if you have to but not Finn, okay? Don't mention it to Mother either. She's happily oblivious and I like her both happy and oblivious."

Ren hums an agreement. After a transitory pause, Ren sticks his hands in his pocket and kicks a leaf that floated near his foot. "So what's your deal then?"

Phasma's nose scrunches up in distaste. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I told you, I'm a prostitute your brother sees every once in a while and he asked me to play house with him until he gets the company," Ren takes a seat next to her. "I still work when I am not running around as a part of the future Mr. & Mr. Armitage Hux, if that's what you're getting at."

"That's not it," she says turning her head towards him, "Who are you really? What is your last name? Where were you born?"

It was Ren's turn to frown. "That's none of your business and completely irrelevant."

"Exactly. You are hiding something and your little facade might fool Mom, Armie and Finn, but not me," Phasma says as she got up to began walking away. "But, if you're really helping Armie out, then I don't care about who you are. Be a mystery for all I care. Just don't cause trouble for my family."

Ren smiles as he shouts towards Phasma's receding figure. "I wouldn't dream of it, lady!"

* * *

Finn lingered outside his brother's room, pulling his fist away from the door for the twentieth time. He'd been debating on whether it would be best to knock or wait nearby for Hux to exit the room so he could casually bump into him. Before this afternoon, it had been two years since they'd seen each other but it felt more like forty with the distance he felt between them. Finn's gut clenches at the thought and he felt immensely guilty at some action he couldn't precisely identify. 

He grabs the doorknob and, to his surprise, the door is open. There is a rustle in the room --- something moving groggily on the bed --- and Finn hears Hux call out in a voice seeped with drowsiness. "Ren?"

Finn's heart beat even faster at the thought of disappointing his brother by revealing it was just him. "It's, uh, it's actually me," he manages to say. He hears the rapid rustling of sheets in the room just before Hux became visible to him. He is sitting upright, his hair disheveled with splotches of red on his cheek. He'd just woken up.

Hux is sitting still with perfectly wide eyes trained on the figure in the door, "Finn. Hey." 

Finn smiles sheepishly. "Hey," he looks over his brother with unknowingly affectionate eyes. "I didn't get a real chance to talk with you at lunch."

"Yeah," the older man replies. They both stay silent, averting their eyes from each other. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great, Armie," Finn smiled. "You look great."

"Thanks," Hux mumbled. "So do you."

The quietness took over again as each minded a different section of the floor before their eyes met again. "Ben's great."

Hux looks up at him. "Finn...about him. The reason I didn't say anything about him was because it was supposed to be really quiet. Just thought I would tell those who were here since I was doing it..."

"It's fine, really," Finn began to laugh in happy disbelief. "It was just surprising that you were getting married! I never thought..." his tone leveled off. The smile on his face seemed hollow as they accompanied tragic eyes, "Never thought about you getting married, y'know?"

"Finn..." Hux stops suddenly. He was about to blurt out his arrangement with Ren before he caught himself. He breathes out steadily, "I never thought about it either."

"I'm really glad you found someone who can make you happy," There are tears welling up in Finn's eyes and Hux rushes out of his bed to the younger man.

The older man brings Finn into his embrace, allowing enough room between them for Finn's arms which are being used to cover his face as he now begins to sob. "Finn, it's okay. It's okay," Hux coos, rubbing small circles into Finn's back. In a move that every inch of Hux's mind flagged as dangerous, he nuzzled his nose into Finn's accessible shoulder and sighed. "It'll all be ok---"

"Hey, asshole, guess what? I was accosted by your older sister in the garden," Ren's voice rung outside the door. His voice continued until the door was fully open, "Guess what she thou --- _woah_."

Ren's hand was still on the doorknob, his body leaning into the room, when he saw the tender scene. Both parties of the display immediately looked at him then quickly de-tangled their bodies from one another. The older Hux cleared his throat and Ren was impressed by how easily he regained his composure. "Hello, Ben."

Finn finishes wiping his eyes on his sleeve and takes a deep breath. He turns to smile at Ben, then returns to Hux. "So, uh, Mom is throwing you two a party tonight to introduce Ben to some family and friends. Do you guys have any objections to that? Mom is working hard on it."

"No, Finn. We wouldn't mind," a light smile plays on the older Hux's face. 

Finn nods, returning the expression before turning to leave. He gives Ren a goodbye without looking at his face. Ren peers down the hallway to see Finn disappear into a nearby room before shutting the door and addressing his fiancée. "W _ooo-ooo_ w. And I thought my family was weird."

"Shut up, Ren. It's not what you think," Hux snaps as he returns to his bed and crawls in the sheets.

"Jerking yourself off under there, big brother?" Ren laughs as he walks towards the mass underneath the covers, "C'mere, let Finn take care of you."

"I'm not jerking off. Leave me alone or shut up."

The other man frowns. "I offer you a free service with role play and you get all pissy. Talk about ungrateful."

"I said, shut up," Hux pops his head from under the covers. "Weren't you saying something about Phasma?"

"Yeah," Ren replied, examining a photo of Finn and Hux on the desk near the bed. _Cute_. "She thought I was blackmailing you into marrying me. Can you believe that?" he scoffed, "Should have seen the look on her face when I told her the truth."

Ren halts and blinks. _Oops_. He expected an outburst from Hux at the slip but the older man is still staring aimlessly at the wall. "Phasma won't tell. But don't fucking slip up around Finn or Mother. Or at that stupid party."

"Yeah, my bad there," Ren shrugs. The silence hangs as Hux continues to stare at the wall in a daze. Ren lets out a frustrated grunt. "Look, Phasma told me to ask you for the deal between you and your brother and I am dying to know what is going on here. Your family is like an episode of _Dynasty_."

"I thought you weren't personally interested in that," Hux mocks.

"Well, after catching my fiancée and his brother in an intimate scene, well..." Ren lifts his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "Can't stay away from primo shit like that."

Hux looks at Ren viciously then hisses out a response: "Fine. If it will get you to shut up about the whole thing." 

"Won't say a word. Scout's honor," Ren proceeds to find the nearest seat and places his elbows on his knees, leaning in and listening intently to Hux's every word.


	5. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and his fiancee bond over sweet memories of Finn/Hux. Ren throws a stapler at him.

"Finn was adopted as a baby when I was 11. I only really knew him for two years before I went off to boarding school. I came back from school every once in a while at first but stopped completely once I hit 16. I graduated and came home ---"

"Gross, dude. He'd be seven."

Hux lifts his head off the pillow and looked at Ren with disdain. "You're sick. Shut up so I can finish," he re-positions his head on the pillow once Ren nodded. "I came home for the summer before college and he was really excited to spend time with his brother. My parents would constantly propel him in my direction. He was so irritating, you know? He always sang these praises about that asshole of a Dad of ours and ask me what I was doing all the damn tim ---"

"Can you please just give me the Cliffnotes? I don't need these details," Ren says lounging in the seat, clearly bored.

Hux's face scrunched in frustration. "Fine. I went to college, worked summers, didn't come home, came home again after getting my PhD---"

Ren looked impressed. "You have a PhD?"

"Do you think my Dad would hand the company over to me if I was unqualified?" Hux clipped at him. "Anyways, by the time I came home, Finn had turned 18. I didn't even recognize him."

The younger man cocked his head at the sudden silence. "Go on...?"

"Mother told me to go greet Phasma and Finn as soon as I got back. I didn't bother to think their rooms had changed," Hux puts a hand over his face, Ren figures in embarrassment. "I went to Finn's room first and there was a vaguely alive mass underneath the covers. I just assumed he was asleep; it was 6AM on a Saturday so I didn't bother waking him. I headed to Phasma's room and I bumped into him coming out. I just thought he was Phasma's boyfriend and frowned at him. From my point of view, it looked like he'd slept with my sister was trying to sneak out on her before she woke up."

Ren reminisces fondly about the cracks that formed on the concrete pillar of the gazebo from the older woman's punches. "I don't think there is a guy with the guts to purposely cross your sister, Hux." 

"Probably not," Hux seems to actually chuckle. Just then, Ren notices how relaxed Hux seemed. His face sharpens under Ren's intense gaze. "Anyways, I confronted him when I found him rustling around in the kitchen a little later. I don't think he got the coded threats --- just stared with wide, innocent eyes. I think I eventually told him to not sleep around with women so loosely..."

"Wow, look who's the morality police," Ren snarks as he gives Hux a mocking applaud. "A hero to all women. He only visits _male_ prostitutes."

Hux breathed out in exasperated annoyance. "It was 6AM. I was tired and angry. Phasma used to call me often to complain about some shitty boyfriend that had hurt her, although she would never say it that way. No one in this family has the skills to actually deal with real human emotions."

Ren nods in agreement. He's noticed a trend of distance in the family. They'll laugh, smile, get angry, cry but it always has an intangible quality; it's as if they're in an alternate dimension and you're merely looking in at them. The emotion is so far removed from the action it's hard to tell if they're really feeling anything. Well, except when it involves another Hux.

"Anyways," Hux continues. "He just laughs a little and says, 'But I like guys' in the most casual way. I must have stuttered 'what about Phasma?' because he replies with a grin, 'yeah, she likes guys, too'..."

Ren bursts with a delayed laugh at Hux's deadpan delivery. 

"Then he asks me if I liked guys. I'm not ashamed or anything so I said I did too. He replied with something along the lines of 'that's good, I like that'..."

"Wow, didn't think the kid was that smooth," the other man whistles. "Wait, wait, wait. Did he recognize you?"

"No," Hux says slowly. "My hair was dyed black a lot of the time, okay? It hadn't been natural since I was 13; I started to let it grow out naturally at the end of college."

"This is a beautiful series of circumstances," Ren says, shaking his head in amusement. "So you guys hit it off and screwed or...?" Ren remembers something, "Oh yeah, you very eagerly denied that." 

"Because we didn't," Hux says, ready to fight. "We were caught in a compromising position by our dad, okay?"

"How compromising?"

"What I pay 70 bucks for from you."

"Wow," Ren extends his vowel. "I guess it's not that bad. Your saving grace is the whole estranged, adopted siblings thing. My big family secret was my mom and her brother kissed. Some separated at birth thing, but they're actually blood related, y'know?"

"Oh yeah?" Hux wasn't sure if Ren was telling him the truth. He didn't know much about Ren to be honest, only the things he's concocted as 'Ben.' "I guess I should tell you it went on for three years after, too. Dad really couldn't do anything about it other than seethe and be disgusted since we were both adults."

Something in Ren's mind clicked as Hux chuckled at the thought. "Wait, so are you telling me that the entire thing after the first encounter was a big, three-year fuck you to your dad?" Before Hux could even respond, Ren's hand reached for the pencil holder. Without warning, he threw it at Hux. "So you were playing with that kid's emotions to spite your dad? Come to think of it, why the hell was he crying when I came in here anyways?" Ren grabs a stapler from the desk and approached the man lying defenseless surrounded by writing utensils. "That kid is so fucking earnest! He probably really liked you! What did you do, run off with another guy once your dad was too far gone to care?" Hux narrowly dodges the stapler by rolling to the other side of the bed.

"What the hell, Ren?" Hux says looking at the stapler resting in a deep crease on the sheets. He's rolled completely off the bed to take shelter beneath the edge. He hears a loud bang and looks to find a calculator stuck in the wall. Hux has never actually been on the receiving end of one of these explosions, only spectated as an amused third-party. "Ren, damn it, listen! I did like him! I left because Finn cared about what Dad thought and felt guilty about it all! He went to college and we didn't speak afterward."

Hux hears something fall by Ren's feet on the other side of the bed. 

Hux sighs and peers over the edge. "It was mutual, okay? All of it. From beginning to end. I loved him."

Ren walks towards the bed and lays atop the assorted of pencils and pens in exhaustion. After a deep sigh he turns to Hux in silence. In the meantime, the man's hair had managed to become disheveled and his cheeks were tinted a slightly rosy color. Hux thought it suited him nicely. "So this all ended around about two years ago, huh?" Ren contemplated for a moment then genuinely laughs, "About the same time you started coming to me. You're horrible, you know?"

"Well, you agreed to marry me so your taste in men must be as bad as your taste in furniture," Hux frowns as he rises, taking a moment to glance at the calculator that punctured the eastern wall of his room. 

Hux sits next to Ren's laying figure with his back firmly against the headboard as Ren thinks of a retort. "One, my furniture is high quality merchandise and is reflective of my impeccable taste. Two, I'm only marrying you for your money. Don't get cocky, Armie."

Hux's frown cracks with the semblance of a smile. "Trust me, Ren, I don't want to be your type. I've seen your clientele."

"Oh, those guys pay the best. The white-collar repressed type. They pay me like I'm going to run to their wives and tell," Ren yawned, eyes closing. "Those fucking parasites don't realize they're one of thousands, I couldn't care less about their damn lives outside the time they've paid for..."

Hux hums a response. "That's what I like about you, Ren. Just business."

"Yeah, just business," Ren's voice was far away, slowly being consumed by sleep. "Just what Snoke always said...just business."

Hux looked down at the sleeping figure, "Snoke?"

Ren was fast asleep but Hux raked through his mind. Snoke. Snoke. Why did that name sound familiar?


	6. Implosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down at their engagement party. It sucks for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone is so occ so i made snoke beautiful

Dr. Snoke was 52 years old, a successful plastic surgeon who came from an aristocratic English family. His face was either a masterpiece of nature or skillfully crafted in his own surgical art: striking green eyes besetting a chiseled face, carefully topped by dark, neatly trimmed hair. As a very eligible bachelor, Hux could always find the good Doctor could be found surrounded by a swarm of widows (his own Mother included), desperate housewives, old bachelorettes, and pretty young things with no sense. 

(Though Hux couldn't judge them too harshly. He had, for a fleeting moment in his youth, also been drawn to the Mephistophelian charm Snoke exuded).

Hux wasn't sure how the man had managed to slip his mind. Either way, now he only wonders how Ren knows him. A patient? Hux laughs. He's seen Ren's face. Handsome in his own way but Hux doesn't think he paid for it. A client? With a face like that and a personality that had even Hux feeling things, why would he need to pay for it? And with Ren of all people, too? 

Speaking of Ren, where is he? The party had started over thirty minutes ago, the house already half-full with guests, and the younger man was nowhere to be found.

"Typical Ren," Hux grumbles in a voice that suggested the alcohol was beginning to take it's effect.

"Haven't heard that name in a while," the statement seemed to come from all directions as Hux is startled out of his thoughts. Beside him, waving at someone across the room with one hand and a glass of something bubbling in the other, Snoke leaned on the mantle behind them. He's looking at Hux with a smug smile and a devilish gleam in his eye. "You're talking about Kylo Ren, correct?"

"Yeah," Hux nods. So he is a client of Ren's. 

Snoke seems to peer into Hux's mind and the smug grin on his face only glows brighter with malice. "Ren is doing very good business. I can see several of his clients in the midst. Important people. It's such a shame he'd fall for someone like you. He was so promising."

"Someone like me?" Hux repeats, low and offended. Snoke is just bad news, Hux can sense it. "Listen, doctor, I am not sure what you're trying to do here but I suggest you stop. Ren is still in business..."

"Oh? Is that what he told you?" Snoke chuckles, interrupting him. "Speak of the devil, if it isn't my sweet Ren," Snoke places his drink down and cups the slightly shorter man's cheeks, gazing almost lewdly into Ren's eyes.

Ren is standing a foot away, eyes wide. A small, unsure smile is threatening to ruin the look of perfect shock on his face.

Hux stared from one man to the other. Next to the doctor, Ren seemed so youthful, so innocent. The red-head was trying to ignore the brightness in Ren's eyes as Snoke speaks something incomprehensible; the way Ren lays a hand over Snoke's and leans into his touch. 

(Hux doesn't think about how Ren is never this gentle or carefree with him).

He feels like he's intruding on a very intimate scene. _At his own engagement party_. 

He turned to Ren, his voice taking on a falsely apathetic tone. "May I remind you are at our engagement party, Ren? Take the show to a bedroom."

Ren hummed, still engrossed in Snoke's smile. "Oh," He snapped back to reality. "Do you guys know each other? Hux, this is Snoke. He set me up with my business."

Wait. It can't be. Hux's eyes narrow. His business? Oh...oh no. Oh no. Hux pinches the bridge of his nose. First, the party is apparently swimming with former clients and now: "Please...please, I beg of you, don't tell me this guy is your former pimp?"

"Such a dirty word," Snoke chided, a contemptuous look in his eye as he stared at Hux, a hand still loosely lingering on Ren's face. "I was more of a mentor to him. A teacher. I unlocked his potential."

Hux lifted an eyebrow incredulously at Ren, waiting for the punch line of a joke no one told. "Ren, can I speak to you?" He looked at Snoke, "Alone?"

Ren didn't take his eyes off Snoke's smile. "Yeah, sure."

When Ren didn't budge, Hux abruptly dragged Ren away, around the corner and into a small but cozy closet. "I'm sorry. Were you done ogling him?"

"What?" Ren laughed nervously. "I was not ogling."

"That's definitely ogling."

"Like you ogle at Finn?"

"I don't ogle! He's my brother and I stare at him like a brother stares at another."

"Please. That look is illegal in most countries!" Ren scoffs. "Snoke helped me break away from that stifling existence my parents set up for me!"

"He pimped you out!"

"You're my parents all over again! I'm not a child!" he gritted his teeth. "I wanted to do this. I wanted to sleep with him but didn't really how to...y'know."

"Oh, you're kidding me," Hux groaned. This idiot's plan was to lose his virginity by becoming a hooker. With the help of the guy he ultimately wanted to sleep with. 

Geez. No wonder he's so fucking terrible in bed.

Ren picked up on the fact that Hux had deciphered his words. "Well, if I could get some money and practice sleeping with other guys, then whatever."

"Then why don't you go sleep with Snoke, Ren, because clearly you have a lot of sexual tension," Hux sighs. He's not even into hearing more of this. Clearly, he did not know Ren's personality like he thought he did. 

"He's all business!" Ren's breathing was heavy and shaky. He continues in a whisper, "He just liked to bring me clients, watch, and collect some pocket change...he wasn't interested in me as a person."

Hux thinks his heart just sank a little. Shit, is Ren going to cry? 

It then dawns on him that Snoke was probably Ren's first love and that, of course, ended terribly. Well, this helps explain Ren's unchecked aggression, emotional detachment, and fear of vulnerability. Hux stares at Ren's face thoughtfully, his features soft and suddenly youthful in the dim light of the closet. A small sigh escapes the older man as a vaguely tender smile worked it's way across his face. It might also explain why he cares so much about dedication, commitment, and, in his own very fucked up way, marriage. 

His mind briefly goes back to Ren's attack when he thought Hux was playing with Finn's emotions. Maybe Ren saw himself as Finn in that moment. Young guy, older man. It was simple enough to place himself in Finn's shoes. Behind all that anger was probably a heartbroken mess that didn't want what happened to him to happen to another person. _Oh, fuck._ Hux groaned internally when he felt a small flutter in his heart. Why did he even care? "Listen, Ren, I --"

Before he could finish, a piercing scream, the sound of a furniture being destroyed, followed by the distinct noise of a body hitting the ground roughly interrupted Hux's statement. The heavy, low chatter indicated something scandalous had just happened in the main room, causing Hux and Ren to take one glance at each other and jog back to the main event. The first thing Hux sees is Snoke. On the floor (in the midst of the shattered remains of what was once a lovely end table and an equally beautiful lamp) with blood trickling from his mouth. Standing just a few feet away, breathing heavily with a look of pure hatred on his face, was the renowned pilot Han Solo, husband of Senator Leia Organa, who is currently trying to calm her husband down. 

Hux's mind leaps to the conclusion that Snoke probably slept with Solo's wife, prompting this unusual attack. After his discussion with Ren, Hux couldn't stop the cruelly amused smile on his face. Served the asshole right. 

Yet, as he looked at the face of the Senator, he doesn't get the impression that some passionate extramarital affair brought on the sudden burst of violence. Maybe Snoke said something? It was also possible. He was running his mouth off with Hux so it's not unlikely he did the same thing with Solo who, unlike Hux, was known to be a fighting man. Most likely he was fed up with the doctor's hubris and decided to knock him down a peg (literally). He nods to himself. He'd felt like decking Snoke when they were speaking before so this sounds likely. Either way, served the asshole right. Engrossed in his thoughts and eyes trained on downed doctor, Hux didn't notice Ren's fist clench as he begun to walk closer to the scene.

"What the hell, Dad?" 

_Dad?_ Hux mouths to himself in suspended shocked before Han notices his son. "Ben!" Hux can see his Mother smile nervously at her guests, praying into her vodka that this didn't escalate further. "Ben, what in the world are you doing here? Are you here with him?!"

Ren pouts like a petulant child, staring his father down. The crowd murmurs again as now the Senator smiles nervously, whispering harshly into her husband's ears. Ben or Ren, (and this time Hux is confused because he's been called both within the last twenty minutes and he's had too many drinks), folds his arms defiantly. "What if I am, Dad?"

"Come home, Ben," Han says, his wife succeeding in calming him. "We miss you."

"I am fine here, thank you," R/Ben breathes out. 

Mrs. Hux downs another glass of vodka, willing that she could have a whole bottle to save her from this social nightmare. (Finn removes the glass from her hand when Hux shoots him a glance). Her polite cough penetrates the silence. "Oh dear, oh dear! Ben, darling, didn't you say you had no parents before? Oh gosh, have you developed Armie's little habits? How charming! You two are practically married already!" This time, Senator Organa wrings her neck to look at Hux along with the rest of the room. Mrs. Hux doesn't miss the shock on her face. Her next sentence comes out half-heatedly apologetic. "Oh, I guess Ben didn't write home about it?" 

But in the true Mrs. Hux fashion, ever the delightful hostess, she chippered up. A Hux party never dies until someone else does! "No worries about that though! Let's enjoy the party, darlings!" 

Mrs. Hux, in a set of motions that demonstrated her tactical brilliance, swiftly salvaged her party:

An encouraging glance at her son. "Armie, dear, why don't you come introduce yourself to your future in-laws?"

A small laugh. "Doctor, come with me, we'll get that jaw all cleaned up!"

A mock look of shock followed by a playful tut tut tut. "What a mess! Phasma, would you ask the maid if she'd be a dear and clean up this mess?"

A gracious smile. "Finn, darling? Music please!"

A menacingly low and exasperated growl only Finn beside her could hear. "And make it _loud_."

* * *

The Organa-Solos had already reached Hux before his mother had finished her greatest maneuver to date. The party had started up again, the crowd dispersed back into small cliques. The group of four stood in a corner, a small silence hanging over them until the sound of toasts began to fill the room again. Hux cleared his throat and extended an ambiguous hand between his future in-laws. Han looked at Hux with mild scorn before Senator Organa took the hand. 

"Pleased to meet you, Senator Organa, Mr. Solo."

"It's our pleasure..." she trails off hoping for a name.

"Armitage," Ren interjects before Hux does. He's still pouting, arms still crossed. Hux's eyebrow twitched in irritation. Who in the world is this overgrown brat that Ren had turned into?

Senator Organa politely repeats the name in greeting before Han's rough question breaks through the awkward pause. "Are you friends with that creep Snoke? What sick little kick are you getting out of this?"

"Excuse me?" Hux replies defensively and slightly confused.

"Han..." the senator whispers warningly before Ren starts up again. 

"I'm an adult, Dad. I can do what I want," 

"Ben," his mother smiles, trying the pacify the whole situation. "Your father and I are just very shocked right now. We've barely seen you in the past ten years," Hux mouths the number under his breath in shock as she continues. "Your uncle Luke misses you, Rey misses you. She's 19 now. You last saw her when she was nine, she still remembers you."

"Leia, I am not done here," her husband's eyes narrow at Hux, "Why are you marrying Ben, kid? I know what that sicko Snoke's convinced Ben to do, you can just pay for it like everyone else does," Hux doesn't miss his fiancee's face twist in anger. "I saw you talking to Snoke earlier, what's your angle?"

Something in Hux burned at the older man's words. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was his own pride, or maybe it was the hurt look in Ren's eyes and everything that Hux knew that Han Solo didn't. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to marry Ben? That I may actually like him as a person? That he's funny, charming, smart, handsome, and has a solid set of values?" Hux finishes off the rest of his liquid motivator as his voice goes up in volume. "You know what? He's really good at his job! And that's saying something because, you know, he's not even the best. Not remotely. Actually on the worst side of bad. He throws tantrums, he's rude, he's degrading and has definitely almost killed a man! But he's one of the most popular prostitute this side of town! Probably more so without Snoke around! He's himself, and I like that. I like _him_."

Hux was feeling fairly satisfied with himself, but Han's hand is cradling his shaking face. Hux thinks he hears the pilot call him a 'fucking moron.' "Oh dear," his wife breathed in. 

People were staring again.

Someone fainted this time.

The chatter awakens: _Senator's son is a hooker! / What a dish! / Did he say Snoke? / I'm so glad I came! / Poor Mrs. Hux...this party is her worst and best at the same time! / How much does he charge, you think?_

"What?" was the shriek that rose above the mindless hum. Mrs. Hux, who had managed to find a bottle of liquor, took a deep swig. "Armitage!" she said in a hurry, walking smoothly to her son. She forced a smile at the amused and scandalized guests on her way. Finn followed suit. 

"Oh," Hux says in a daze. "Was I loud?"

"Just don't spill it to Mother or Finn," Ren smirks. "Now, who was the one who said that?"

"Damnit, not now, Ren!" Hux snaps. 

"Armitage Brendol Hux, do you want to kill me? It would be easier to take a knife to my heart!" His mother whispered harshly. Suddenly, as if something startled her, she turned to her future son-in-law. "Oh, Ben -- err, Ren, dear. Nothing against you but I would rather have liked that little announcement in private!"

Ren shrugged. "It's not like I said anything contrary the whole time I was here. You never asked what I did," he laughed and Hux was tempted strangle him there and then. Which would probably have been good because Ren casually continues to destroy Hux's life: "I haven't been lying like Hux and Finn or anything."

"Ren, you fucking idi --" Hux's eyes widened in his attempt to derail the topic. He locked eyes with Finn, who gestured in a frenzy for Hux to just say anything. "Mother, Finn and I were planning an anniversary par --"

Her face whitened, but she managed to put a long finger in Hux's face to stop him. The crowd seemed to move in anticipation towards the in-laws, eager for more gossip. "What were you saying about my babies?"

Ren retracted a little. Mrs. Hux was scarier than her daughter, her son and a dragon combined. "That he and Finn were planning a surprise party that rivaled yours..."

"Cut the crap," several people gasped at the pristine Mrs. Hux's obscene language. It wasn't just her hair roots that were showing. 

"Mom," Finn interjects softly. The truth will set us free, he rationalizes. After all, all of it at once is probably better than her getting over one thing then overreacting to the next. Plus, despite being a highly functional alcoholic, all the vodka in her system might help soften the blow. "Me and Hux were involved for bit. We -- we didn't know who the other was," Finn pauses. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "At first."

"Surprise!" Ren exclaims in the dead silence. His own mother pinches him roughly in the arm. 

"Involved?" Mrs. Hux swayed back and forth, dizzy. "Oh, heavenly bodies!" 

Their mother collapses on the spot. 

Finn manages to catch her, looking desperately at Hux and Ren then behind him to an isolated corner of the room. Phasma, who watched it all play out from said corner, decided with a bored sigh that was her cue to act. She began dispersing the guests. 

They didn't have to go home, but they sure as hell needed to get out of here.


End file.
